Rob's Rave and Silvina's Stories Living life at the end of the world
Corrientes
Correcting Your Mistakes – on Camera
The successes, and failures, of trying to fix an expensive video camera with the wrong tools.
Back to Base – Corrientes
It was a long-standing promise that I had made to my friends that one day I would return to my old original YWAM base in the north of Argentina. Even though it was my first contact with YWAM and a place where I still have many friends, Corrientes was not a place that I really [...]
2 Days in Corrientes
Well, my two days here are up. It has been fantastic to catch up with all of my friends that I have not seen for 6 months, and I have made full use of the Internet while here with phone calls on Skype to my family all through the night. There have been some big [...]
Time is a Wastin’
Well, here it is at midday and I am still trying to get this motorbike working. It is rapidly changing from an object of joy to an object of trouble and woe. I just went into town today and bought another fuel tank. When I replaced it I discovered that it is losing more fuel [...]
I’m Going – By Bike
Many have called me crazy. Many have called me brave. Others just shake their heads when they contemplate the 827km journey that I am about to embark upon on my Siambretta motorbike. They say that it cannot be done. I say that it is only because few choose to do it. They say that there [...]
Siambretta – Almost Ready
After the paperwork saga, Sergio and I visited my motorscooter to see how the repairs were going on it. When we arrived the bike was mostly together, and old Mr. Verdun told me that it was almost ready to start, but he wanted it for another day to make sure it was tuned and running [...]
Old People – Photos While Waiting
Some more photos taken while waiting for the paperwork to be completed on my motorscooter. This time it is of old people that lived nearby or wandered past. The photos are taken in the same section of town, but in different areas. Owner of the house of the previous photos entering his garage. Old man [...]
Siambretta Mobile Again
It looked like rain today, all around us. Even so, I needed to work through some more paperwork for my motorbike. So climbing onto one bus and then another, I arrive an hour later than suggested by Mr Verdun at his house to pick up my motorbike. There he was, seated on the side of [...]
To-Go Or Not-To-Go
That is the question that I am asking myself right now. Should I or should I not go to Salta on my newly acquired motorbike. Ideally the answer would be yes, but right now it is a big unknown. You see, over the last few days, I have had a number of minor (or major, [...]
Watch the Air-conditioning Drops
On hot days like today, wherever you go in the city, there are big puddles of water on the footpaths, often running down into the gutters. Some of these puddles can be extremely slippery too, depending on the surface they are found. The smart people are on the lookout for this sort of thing, just [...]
The Barefoot Man
Heading into town today, I forgot about putting some shoes on. Normally I am always walking around in shoes, but today my flip-flops failed me and fell apart. It was on the bus that I realised my dilemma, and by then it was too late. As I started walking about the city, I felt very [...]
Heading Out the Door
It is time. 8am in the morning and I am heading off now. As you can see, the bike is pretty loaded with all of my stuff. This is how I am travelling to Salta. Today I leave. Where I end up is anybody’s guess. It will be closer to Salta than to Corrientes. I [...]
Blackout in the City
I had just arrived and used my last pennies in buying my favorite food, "Chipacitos." These little bread-cheese balls left me without a cent, but they were lovely. The next stop was the bank to correct this situation. Along the main city pedestrian mall is one lonely shop with lights. In the bank was a [...]
Siambretta Ready to Go – Oh Hang On!
An afternoon storm thundered down upon us, the lightning striking close by and cutting electricity to our area. Water filled up any available hole or depression and quickly turned our dirt roads into strips of mud and holes of muddy water. It did not look like I would be able to go and pick up [...]
Time to Celebrate – Almost
Well, after so many weeks of fighting, running around, paying fees, and seeking solutions, I finally have the receipt to say that it is now all over. Of course, it is not completely over yet, but the worst of it certainly is. Now comes the wait. At the office they told us that it is [...]
The Paperwork Saga Continues
Starting early in the morning, Sergio and I raced into town intent on finishing all of the outstanding paperwork on my Siambretta motorscooter. We had prepared our paperwork the evening before and could see that we were now very close. So at around 8.30am in the morning we walked into the main government building armed [...]
She Broke Down Again
It was a perfect day yesterday with beautiful blue skies. I was cruising along the main highway towards home with Jorge, the leader of the YWAM base in Puerto Madryn, on the back of my bike when suddenly there was no more power left. By the time we pulled to a slow stop along the [...]
Lehman Ready for Church
Every day is a different day here, and sometimes it rains so much that there is large puddles of water and mud everywhere. So getting to church in good shoes can be a daunting task. Lehman has solved all of these problems by an ingenious system. It is a combination of farmer and city-boy. Here [...]
Off to the Mechanic
Earlier this morning Oscar and I connected our bikes together with rope and he towed me along to my mechanic. It took only 15 seconds for my mechanic to work out the problem and he did not look very excited that it had happened. Being towed along just near the point that my engine died [...]
Siambretta Under The Knife
That was it. I had had enough. While changing gears on my bike it kept jumping out, the clutch kept slipping, the thing was really hard to start, the brakes were dangerous because they simply did not stop the bike, and it really lacked in power. Phew. Lots of problems. A long stretch of road [...]
Siambretta – The Reassembly
Well, it has been a while now and there has been no news about my Siambretta which went under the surgeon’s knife before the weekend. When I left it at the workshop the indication was that it may take more than a week to fix. There were several things that were dependant on other people [...]
Our Local Shop in Corrientes
Having been here for a long time, it was only recently that this shed situated right next to our property was opened as a shop. The guy that runs it, Ariel, actually started his Discipleship course with us back in July 2004. Now he works next to us and loves chatting with all an any [...]
Buying a Siambretta – Paperwork and More Paperwork
Today has been the third consecutive day of paperwork for both Sergio and I. Things were looking really good today, and I was sure that we would get very close to finishing everything. As we paced our way down the narrow sidewalks, avoiding other rushing people and searching for the shadows in this blistering hot [...]
Buying a Siambretta – Yet Another Visit
Today was an easy day. All I had to do was visit the Escribana and pick up some paperwork. Most of it seems to be signed now, although I am not holding my breath. The paperwork was all very important stuff. Things that I need to be legal on the roads here in Argentina. I [...]